Korea The Forgotten War

Communist Expansion in AsiaThe Chinese Civil War After WW1 Japan’s power over China

increased By 1919 the Chinese were protesting to gain

independence from Japan In the mid 1920’s Jiang Jieshi’s Nationalist

Party gained strength in northern China capturing Beijing

Communist troops made gains around Shanghai

Jiang sent troops to attack the Communists and their supporters causing civil war

Divided Korea After World War II,

Japan’s former colony of Korea was divided into two occupation zones along the 38th parallel with the Soviet zone in the north and the US zone in the south

Before the occupation forces departed, an anticommunist regime was established in the south and a communist one in the north

The Division of Korea Korea was temporarily divided at the thirty-

eighth parallel, the latitude line running through approximately the midpoint of the peninsula.

US in Asia The US was uncertain as to

the extent of its commitment in Asia

It knew its umbrella definitely covered Japan, Okinawa, and the Philippines, but it was unclear about Taiwan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia

Believing the US did not intend to protect South Korea, the USSR allowed the North Koreans to invade the south in 1950

Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s speech to

the National Press Club omitted South Korea

from the US “defensive perimeter”

North Korea Attacks: June 25, 1950

North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel with an invasion force totaling over 90,000 troops and 150 Soviet-built tanks

By the night of June 28, Seoul had fallen and the South Korean forces were in disarray

South Korea appealed to the United Nations for assistance

The UN passed a resolution recommending that “the members of the United Nations furnish such assistance to the Republic of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and security to the area.”

United Nations As a member of the UN Security Council, the

Soviet Union could have vetoed UN involvement in the war, but instead Moscow was boycotting the Security Council at the time in protest of the UN’s failure to seat a representative of the newly established People’s Republic of China

In the absence of the USSR, the UN passed a resolution sending a military force to South Korea

The force was predominately American with Douglas MacArthur as the Supreme Commander There were also substantial contributions from

the UK, Canada and other Commonwealth countries.

Force Comparison U.S. Armed Forces in

1950 10 Army

divisions (4 in Japan)

48 USAF air groups

331 combatants (64 in Pacific)

2 Marine divisions

North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) 14 Divisions (9

in invasion force) Soviet trained,

armed and advised

150 tanks, almost 100 modern aircraft

Task Force Smith To stem the North

Korea advance, the US deployed “Task Force Smith,” a delaying force of two reinforced rifle companies to Pusan

MacArthur thought this “arrogant display of strength” would cause the North Koreans to take pause and slow their aggression

Elements of Task Force Smith

arriving at Taejon

• Task Force Smith began occupying defensive positions on July 5 at 3:00 am– At 7:00 they began seeing

enemy movement– At 8:16 they began firing

artillery– At 2:30 the commander decided

to withdraw• When LTC Smith arrived at

Ch’onan on July 6, he counted 185 men – He began with 540

• After all stragglers returned, the total loss to TF Smith was 35%

Task Force Smith

Implications of Task Force Smith Task Force Smith has become

the poster child for the cost of military unpreparedness

“No more Task Force Smiths” GEN Gordon Sullivan, Army Chief of

Staff, 1991-1995 (administered the post Desert Storm Army downsizing)

Course: 1st Stages At first, the war went

badly for US/UN. North Koreans

pushed the combined South Korean & American forces to the tip of the peninsula.

China provided advisors & supplies …& so did Soviets.

Equipment in FEC • Mostly outdated World War II equipment and much of it was unserviceable

– Of 18,000 jeeps only 8,000 were serviceable– Of 13,780 2 1/2 ton trucks, only 4,441 were serviceable

• Had none of the new 3.5 inch antitank rocker launchers

– Only the 2.36 inch Bazooka which had proved inadequate in 1944 – 1945

• Hydraulic fluid for recoil mechanisms in the M24 tanks had been on backorder for two years, so most of their 75 mm guns had never been fired • Some men were wearing tennis shoes because of a lack of boots • ¼ of the small arms were defective

Training Problems• Occupation duties took precedence over training • No unit training above the company level had taken place in Eighth Army before April 1949 • Limited maneuver area and an annual personnel turnover rate of 43% impeded training • The four divisions were rated as 65% to 84% combat ready

– Some senior officers felt that 40% was more realistic

US troops parade across the Yoshida

Bridge

2nd Stage: Counterattack!

But, MacArthur reversed the war with an amphibious assault behind the North Korean lines.

UN forces proceeded to destroy the North Korean army –almost reaching the Chinese border …which really angered the Chinese

So, China sent forces across the border & overwhelmed UN forces in one of the worst defeats in US history, driving the UN from North Korea & back across the 38th

US Forces Change During the Korean War

Advances in medical services such as the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) and the use of rapid transport of the wounded to them such as with helicopters enabled the death rate for U.N. forces to be much lower than in previous wars.

1st racially integrated troops! Exe. Order 9981 in effect

MacArthur’s Relief MacArthur repeatedly

made public statements that were contrary to official US policy He suggested that

Truman Administration policies were responsible for the retreat of the Army

MacArthur and Truman meet at Wake Island,

Oct 14, 1950

MacArthur’s Relief On Dec 6, 1950, Truman published an

executive order– aimed at MacArthur– requiring all government officials to clear their public statements on foreign and military policy with the Administration

Truman planned to use recent military successes to invite the Communists to negotiate

MacArthur broadcast an ultimatum to the enemy which undermined Truman’s authority

Sent a letter to Congressman Joseph Martin further criticizing the Administration

MacArthur’s Relief “I deeply regret that it

becomes my duty as President and Commander in Chief of the United States Military Forces to replace you as Supreme Commander, Allied Powers; Commander in Chief, United Nations Command; Commander in Chief, Far East; and Commanding General United States Army, Far East. You will turn over your commands, effective at once, to Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway.”

“But once war is forced upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available

means to bring it to a swift end. War's very object is victory, not

prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for

victory.” MacArthur’s Farewell Address

Apr 19, 1951

The End of Mobile War When Ridgway became

Commander in Chief, Far East, Lieutenant General James Van Fleet took command of Eighth Army

The Chinese attacked in April and again in May, but Van Fleet counterattacked

By mid-June 1951, UN forces had regained a line that was for the most part north of the 38th parallel

This last fighting ended the year-long mobile phase of the war

Armistice War was at a stalemate

along a front just north of the 38th parallel …where it began.

Peace talks began in July 1951.

The ‘police action’ dragged on for 2 years until an armistice was finally signed in 1953 under Eisenhower.

A truce signed in 1953 left Korea again divided near the thirty eighth parallel.

54,000 Americans died in Korea

The Effects of the Korean WarPost-Korean War Changes in America Warfare — Limited war, limited victory Integration of the Military — First war in

which white Americans and African Americans served in the same units

Increased Power of the Military — A military-industrial complex developed as the military established links with the corporate and scientific communities.

Foreign Policy in Asia — September 1951 peace treaty signed with Japan; relations worsen with Communist China